CESU Internal EOI Recruitment Process
A POVB Bulletin was sent out to all Members on Wednesday, 25 June regarding the CESU internal EOI transfer at grade process. The POVB were meeting with CSNSW to ensure the 2018 Agreement to exhaust all transfer lists prior to moving to EOI for transfer at grade was maintained.
On Wednesday the POVB State Executive met with Assistant Commissioner Sue Wilson, HR Directors Judith Gibbons and Cathryn Hellams and CESU Management to find clarity on the agreement and adopt a process moving forward.
HR made it clear the Agreement exists and it is the intention for CSNSW to use the transfer lists in the first instance where they exist for a location prior to moving to an EOI for Transfer at Grade. We were provided with the list of CESU Locations where base grade Correctional Officer transfer lists currently exist and the number of staff on each of those lists:
| CESU Location | Count of EMPLOYEES |
| Amber Laurel CC | 3 |
| Batemans Bay Court | 11 |
| Bathurst Court | 5 |
| Courts Metropolitan | 2 |
| Dubbo Court | 13 |
| Gosford Court | 24 |
| Goulburn Court | 1 |
| Grafton/Maclean Court | 11 |
| Lismore Court | 18 |
| Northern CESU | 3 |
| Port Macquarie/Kempsey Court | 51 |
| Queanbeyan Court | 1 |
| Tamworth/Armidale Court | 3 |
| Wollongong Court | 46 |
| Wyong Court | 20 |
| Grand Total | 212 |
Staff who are still on an existing transfer list will continue to be contacted by HR on an annual basis and asked if they wish to remain on the transfer list and if offered a position at that location, would they accept the transfer.
HR will continue to apply a mixture of recruitment options between promotion utilising the talent pools (Casual to Ongoing & SCO Talen Pools) and Transfer Lists or EOI for transfer at grade (where transfer lists are exhausted). HR stated that this is usually done on an alternate basis for each vacancy that becomes available at a respective location.
POVB Consultative Meeting
Due to the current COVID-19 lockdown in the Sydney Metropolitan area, the POVB Management Committee and Delegates to Management Meetings which were scheduled for 29th June to 1st July were postponed as POVB sub-branch Delegates were restricted from travelling to Sydney. The POVB requested to raise issues and a Consultative meeting was held on Thursday with CSNSW Industrial Relations branch and HR who took the following issues on notice;
- Centre Workforce Plans – The POVB requested that local Delegates are involved in the consultation process. Delegates in most centres are consulted by the Governor, but if Delegates are not being consulted on the Workforce Plan for recruitment in your centre, please contact the POVB State Executive and we will raise it with HR.
- Talent Pools – The POVB asked if the current Casual to Ongoing and SCO Talent Pools were for 12 or 18 months. HR stated they are for 18 months in line with the GSE. We requested the dates those Talent Pools will expire and asked that an effort is made by HR to exhaust those talent pools by filling all CO and SCO vacancies at each centre before the Talent Pools expire. HR agreed to provide expiry dates of the talent pools and provide us with the numbers of staff currently in each Talent Pool.
- EOI for SCO Transfer at Grade – We requested further information to be sent to staff on the EOI for SCO Transfer at Grade process. Currently Governors can commence an EOI for transfer at Grade process for their centre rather than promoting staff from the SCO Talent Pool. The POVB are seeking for a consistent state wide process that is in line with the EOI for CO Transfer at Grade process that is advertised annually for all centres where Transfer Lists have been exhausted. This process should be included in each centre’s Workforce Plan in consultation with local POVB Delegates.
- Promotion Within You Centre – Assistant Commissioner Kevin Corcoran has a view that staff should not be promoted within their own Correctional Centre. The reason is that by promoting staff to another centre, it will assist with change and promote a positive culture within the centre. A/C Corcoran did not attend the meeting and the issue was taken on notice. The POVB are opposed to the idea and have requested further consultation.
- Francis Greenway Correctional Complex Boom Gate – Previously the POVB requested that the Windsor Complex Boom Gate operate on a permanent basis due to safety and security concerns raised by the three Correctional Centres on the complex. Commissioner Severin said previously, that risk assessments will be conducted to assess the risks to the complex in order to make a decision. To date, those risk assessments have not been conducted and we are seeking that action is taken.
- Sick Leave Sanctions for 12 Hour Shift Workers – We raised this issue again, where staff on 12 hour shifts are automatically placed on sanctions when going sick by two days. Staff may be excluded from overtime calls due to this issue with the ELIPSE system and a manual override need to take place to rectify the issue. We were informed that when CSNSW migrate from ELIPSE to JSAP, this issue should be rectified.
The POVB State Executive will continue to raise issues to CSNSW on behalf of POVB Sub-Branches where issues are in dispute at a local level. Members are reminded to raise all safety issues with your WHS Committee by filling out the Hazard Identification Form. Also place issues on the Centre’s Issues Register and contact your POVB Delegates.
POVB Contact details
| Nicole Jess | Chairperson | 0427 609 199 |
| Jason Charlton | Vice Chairperson | 0401 500 976 |
| Natalie Howes | Secretary | 0407 011 441 |
| Mark Hutchinson | Assistant Secretary | 0410 031 963 |
| Darren King | Country Vice Chair | 0407 935 039 |
| Joshua Hamade | Country Vice Chair | 0456 249 991 |
| Clinton Lamb | Vice Chair Overseer | 0400 709 144 |
| David McCauley | POVB Industrial Officer | 0419 022 767 |
| David Bartle | POVB Industrial Officer | 0418 425 976 |
| Trish O’Brien | Welfare Officer | 0412 120 391 |